The Illustrated Treasury of Australian Stories

In very good condition - has markings from use - due to differing weights in books, postage maybe adjusted at checkout.

The aim of this anthology is to entertain and give pleasure to an audience as wide as the field from which the stories have been chosen. The earliest was published in 1894, the latest in 1986. The stories are presented chronologically so that the reader may appreciate the development of the story-teller's art as the preoccupations and attitudes of Australians have changed with their history.

From the haunting bush tragedy of Barbara Baynton's 'The Chosen Vessel' to Helen Garner's ironic comment on feminism in 'The Life of Art'; from Henry Lawson's comic story of desperate goldseekers thwarted by a formidable woman in 'The Golden Graveyard' to Angelo Loukakis's sad story of a young Greek bound by duty to an implacably self-centred father in 'Being Here Now': The variety of mood and theme in this collection is as fascinating as the variety of talent and technique.

There is an emotional and imaginative depth in what appear to be simple stories. The poignancy of loss stays in the mind after reading 'Gant and His Horses' by Brian James or Frank Dalby Davidson's 'The Good Herdsman'. The magic and mystifications of being a child come to life in 'The Milk Run' by Christina Stead, 'The Glass Boy' by Gwen Harwood, 'The Time of the Peacock' by Mena Abdullah and Ray Mathew. The anguish of rejected love is treated brilliantly and lightheartedly in Beverley Farmer's 'Summer on Ice'.

In these and other stories immediacy is given to moments of human experience by precise and evocative description, by a sense of place and period charmingly enhanced by the sensitively chosen illustrations.